Pearl Jam has long paid tribute to the influence of Australia- and New Zealand-reared acts such as Split Enz, Crowded House and Hunters & Collectors, and today (Nov. 10) they combined the two by welcoming Split Enz/Crowded House principal Neil Finn in Auckland for a cover of Hunters & Collectors’ classic “Throw Your Arms Around Me.”
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder has performed the tender 1984 love song live with Finn on numerous occasions over the last three decades, and the pair even committed the cover to tape on the 2013 Hunters & Collectors tribute album Crucible.
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“There’s a young guy who has been holding up this sign all night,” Vedder said last night before the song. “It’s a pretty well-made sign. It says, ‘Ed can I play guitar with you?’ You want to play this guitar? Well, I’ll find out your name later but, I’m sorry, kid. It was either you or Neil Finn. I had to go with Neil Finn.”
Vedder most recently joined Finn and Crowded House for “Throw Your Arms Around Me” and Split Enz’ “I Got You” in late September at the Ohana festival in Dana Point, Ca. Pearl Jam is in Australia and New Zealand for the first time in a decade for shows in support of their album Dark Matter, which was nominated for three Grammys earlier this week.
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